Haslam backs ban on bump stocks, raising age for gun buys

Gov. Bill Haslam declared his support for banning “bump stock” gun modifications and for raising the legal age for purchase of semi-automatic firearms in a Washington, D.C., speech from 18 to 21, reports WBIR TV. President Trump has supported both notions.

“It’s just crazy to me that you can’t buy a beer at 19, but you can buy an AR-15,” Haslam said during a speech at the breakfast event at the Pew Charitable Trusts Friday.

… U.S. Sen. Bob Corker and Sen. Lamar Alexander are co-sponsors of a Senate bill that calls for strengthening federal background checks. Both believe more needs to be done to prevent mass shootings.

Governor Haslam echoes the president and both senators saying he’d also like to see background checks be strengthened more for those looking to purchase guns.

“This has to happen federally, but beginning to work on making the background check a lot better process,” he said. “We’re miles apart on the whole gun control debate. We’re not going to have this sweeping change. I think starting to do something like that most people would say, ‘Ok, that’s common sense, I can agree with that,’ is the right thing to do, to show we’ve got an issue in this country.”

… Last year, Governor Haslam allowed a controversial guns-on-campus bill to become law without his signature. That allows full-time faculty, staff and other employees of Tennessee’s public colleges and universities who have handgun-carry permits to carry their guns on campus. They do have to notify local law enforcement.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) said he was open to moves to deny assault weapons to those younger than 21. “I haven’t heard a good answer to: Why should a 20-year-old be able to buy an assault rifle and not a beer?” he said. “The issue around bump stocks, I don’t hear a lot of people defending why we should have that.”

One Response to Haslam backs ban on bump stocks, raising age for gun buys

Full citizenship rights should be extended to our 18 year-olds before we think of extending them to illegal aliens or further subjecting them to the indignities of further restrictions. They can vote, be drafted, legally contract so they are entitled to the dignity of having all other rights extended to them as well.